Silky smooth chocolate filling coupled with sweet whipped cream and a crunchy cookie crust. This pie is honestly one of my favorite desserts ever, and it only takes 20 minutes. No baking, no chilling, just enjoying. Bonus: it’s so so simple to make.

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The story

Shock. Surprise. Disbelief. Sadness. Fear.

I never would have expected this wave of emotions, but that’s what happened when I heard about Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing. A sinking feeling, a gaping hole. I was raised conservative, rebelled and registered as a Democrat when I turned 18, then landed somewhere on the Libertarian spectrum as an adult. I didn’t agree with her on everything, but I agreed with her on a lot of things.

And I don’t have to hold the same beliefs as someone else to respect them and value them.

I respected her as a person. I appreciated the way she championed women’s rights. I loved that she was dear friends with someone who held very different personal beliefs than she did. She and Justice Scalia were often on opposite sides in votes.

Voting different ways didn’t make them enemies.

As he himself said, some things are more important than votes. Respect. Human decency. Loving each other. As a Christian, I believe my first duty is to love my neighbor. Not convert my neighbor. Not judge my neighbor. Not condemn my neighbor. Not fight with my neighbor over what they believe.

Love them. Period.

Rest in peace, Ruth. Thank you for all you taught me.

Chocolate Cream Pie

Okay, so this pie. Ah-mazing. My husband found it months ago, when I decided to blaze my own trail and invent a chocolate ganache mousse pie.

I should have listened to him and tried his recipe. So, so good. It’s based on one on Food Network, but I made a few key changes that I think really make it yummy and also easier to make.

I used powdered sugar to make the whipping process simpler. Granulated sugar just doesn’t like to dissolve quickly, and I have a toddler and thus no time to be beating cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Powdered sugar blends right in quickly.

I also used heavy whipping cream instead of milk. Because I had more than I needed and figured why not. You can use milk instead, or a milk-alternative, but I make no promises on how that would turn out. Although maybe my slightly lactose intolerant tummy would appreciate if I’d try that sometime.

Anyway, my favorite change was adding some melted chocolate. It’s one of my favorite twists. It’s very simple to do, yet it brings such a rich chocolate flavor and helps stabilize the filling. Literally, you are 20 minutes away from a ready-to-eat chocolate cream pie. Who knew that was possible???

How to make this recipe

First, make the Oreo cookie crust. You can use any flavor Oreo/cream filled chocolate cookie, and can sub gluten free cookies with no changes. In fact, I used Glutino this time and it was delish. Pop that in the freezer while you make the filling.

Next, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl, either over a saucepan with an inch or so of already-simmering water, on medium-low (avoid putting it over the pan before it’s simmering), stirring frequently, or by microwaving at half power in 10ish second increments, stirring in between. Set aside.

In a medium to large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, sifted cocoa powder, heavy whipping cream, and vanilla extract until smooth. You could use a stand mixer, but I find that a hand mixer is actually easier for this.

Scrape down the bowl and beat again for 10 seconds.

Next, add in the melted chocolate.

Beat until smooth, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl and taste, adding more sugar, cream, or cocoa as needed. Don’t thin it out, though. It will thicken every so slightly in the fridge, but a negligible amount, so don’t go overboard on the cream.

Pour into the now-chilled pie crust. Refrigerate while you make the whipped cream.

In a chilled bowl, whisk heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until combined. Taste, adding more powdered sugar as needed (I think I added one more tablespoon because I made such a rich, chocolatey filling).

Whisk until soft peaks (still smooth and creamy, but just starting to hold some small peaks).

Spread over the chocolate filling.

Using the sifter, sprinkle a bit more cocoa powder on top. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Tips for this recipe

Use softened cream cheese

You can get away with using still-cold cream cheese, but it’ll take longer to make it smooth. Try to be sure it’s been at room temperature at least 30 minutes, but an hour is more ideal. Yes, this does mean it’ll take more than 20 minutes, but you aren’t actually working for that 30-60 minutes, so we won’t count it. ;)

Make your own crust!

This is beyond easy to do. It takes 5 minutes, 10 if you’re meticulous about shaping the crust. Plus, you can use any flavor cookie you want and can use gluten free cookies! It will always be fresher and less crumbly-in-a-bad-way (because sometimes we want a crumbly dessert) than store bought.

With that, see the original post for the crust to know how many cookies you need. It all depends on your pie pan.

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20 Minute, No-Bake Chocolate Cream Pie

Print

prep time: 15 minutes (including pie shell)
cook time: 5 minutes
total time: 20 minutes

Servings: 6-10 (makes one 8”-9” pie)

Ingredients:

one Oreo cookie pie crust (see note; can sub gluten free cookies)
¼ cup chocolate chips (dark are preferred, but any will do)
1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream, separated
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, separated
¼ to ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted (to taste)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, separated

Instructions:

First, make the Oreo cookie pie crust. Place in the freezer to let it firm up while you make the filling.
Next, place the chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream in a heatproof bowl. Melt the chocolate either by heating in the microwave at half power in 10 second increments, stirring between each time, or by placing over a saucepan with 1-2” simmering water (make sure it’s already simmering and turned down to medium-low when you put the bowl over it). Stir constantly until melted and smooth. Add a splash more of heavy cream if it isn’t melting smoothly. Set aside.
In a medium to large mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream (you can sub milk here, but it won’t be as creamy), ½ cup powdered sugar, ¼ cup cocoa powder, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Using a hand mixer or the paddle attachment of your stand mixer, beat on high until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Stop to scrape down the bowl and mix again on high for about 10 seconds to combine.
Add in the melted chocolate and beat on high until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl and taste. Add more cocoa powder, powdered sugar, or heavy cream (in small splashes) as desired until it’s smooth (but very thick), and as sweet/chocolatey as you’d like. But remember, the whipped cream will also help balance out the flavor. Mix on high 10 more seconds to combine.
Spread the chocolate mixture evenly in the bottom of the now-chilled crust. Refrigerate while you make the whipped cream topping.
In a chilled bowl, whisk the remaining heavy whipping cream (you should have at least 1 cup left), ⅓ cup powdered sugar, and the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla. Whisk until combined. Taste. Add more powdered sugar as needed (I think I added one more tablespoon because I made such a rich, chocolatey filling). Then whisk on medium-high (or by hand) until soft peaks form--you want it smooth but just starting to hold some small peaks. Spread over the chocolate filling. Using the sifter, sprinkle a bit more cocoa powder on top.

Enjoy! Keep refrigerated until serving. Seal leftovers with plastic wrap or foil. (This helps keep the crust fresh and prevents the whipped cream absorbing any smells in even the cleanest of fridges.)